Fuji music is original to Nigeria and is adored and followed by millions of people, the low, the high and the mighty. The genre has attracted a greater followership than juju music and can boast of over a hundred artistes in the industry across the globe. In this report, SAMUEL ABULUDE looks at the world of fuji music, four years after the demise of king of fuji music, Alhaji Ayinde Barister

Fuji music is the in-thing for many and a hybrid of afro pop genre of music. According to Wikipedia, it is a popular Nigerian musical genre. It arose from the improvisation of Ajisari andWere music tradition, which is a kind of music performed to wake Muslims before dawn during the Ramadanfasting season. Were music/Ajisari itself was made popular by Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister. Now we have K1 Ultimate, Saheed Osupa, Alabi Pasuma, Akande Abass Obesere, Adewale Ayuba, Sule Alao Makaika, Taiye Currency, Atawewe, Muri Aluko, Sandoka, Shanko Rasheed and numerous others.

In present day Nigeria, music has become a great employer of labour and a major past time of many talented youths who seek a way out of poverty. With the abundance of talents among Nigerians, music and the entertainment business generally ought to be an empire on its own.

Early years

It must be said that fuji music predated the talented and suave Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister and the musician cannot be said to have pioneered Fuji music just like Bob Marley or Fela Anikulapo-Kuti cannot be said to have pioneered the reggae or afrobeat music respectively. They can be said to have made the genres popular beyond the normal and deserved to be so acknowledged.

The fuji musical genre was made popular by Alhaji Dauda Epo-Akara, the deceased Ibadan-based awurebe founder and Ganiyu Kuti, aka Gani Irefin. The Muslim community in Lagos metropolis that is Lagos mainland and Lagos Island had a sizeable number of ajiwere acts. These early performers drew great inspiration from Yoruba Sakara music style- using the sakara drum but without the violin-like goje instrument that is normally played. Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister did a tremendous job of popularizing his craft by taking it all over the world; he started touring the European continent, especially Britain, in the early 1970s. Between 1970 and throughout the 1980s, other fuji musicians included Fatai Adio, Saura Alhaji, Rahimi Ayinde (Bokote) to name a few.

In modernizing fuji music in the early 1980s, Alhaji Kollington Ayinla, aka Baba Alatika is a name to be reckoned with. Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde Barrister before he changed his name to Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde Marshall emerged with hits such as Talazo in 1984 which shook the world of fuji. Generally, the lyrics are in Yoruba. Due to its popularity with young Nigerians, Fuji is now the main hook lines of Nigerian hip-hop music. Yinka Davies featured Ayinde Barrister before his demise in her single titled 'Owo', a masterpiece and it was a soundtrack in the movie Maami produced by Tunde Kelani.

Barrister's relevance

Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister popularly referred to as Alhaji Agba revolutionized fuji music in the mid 80s with his album Fuji garbage. The song, fuji garbage became an anthem of a sort and this caused more artistes to take to fuji music as preferred choice. Then Wasiu Ayinde Marshal was under the tutelage of Alhaji Agba, Agbajelola. With countless albums, more than 70 albums to his credit, Ayinde Barrister who resigned from being a soldier along with his pal, Kollington Ayinla rode the music scene like a colossus. With songs and albums like Vintage Fuji Melody, Barry Wonder, Fuji Explosion, Iwa and so many others, he became a father figure to many.

Adewale Ayuba, Bonsue fuji king reminisced on his encounter with the Barrister who died in December 2010. “Barrister will call me twice in a year and will pour prayers on me. He'll tell me that I'm growing fuji music by my work. And I am sure, he was doing same for other fuji artistes. When I got the KORA Award, he called me for an hour and really prayed for me. Any fuji singer that gets an award, baba would congratulate him personally and show that the person is doing well for fuji music. There was a time when I finished my concert in America, Alhaji Ayinde Barrister called me saying, 'you have taken fuji music to greater heights'. Baba was such a father to all and there were no major fights during his time.”

Barrister who hailed from Ibadan, Oyo State died in London four years ago and the curtain fell on a great hero and proud ambassador of Nigerian music. Veteran musicians, Ebenezer Obey, Segun Adewale, Alabi Pasuma converged at his Isolo, Lagos home on the day his body was flown from London for burial. He was said to have had 3 wives and 12 other concubines.

Are fuji artistes missing Barrister since his demise? Ayuba responded: “Of course yes, my brother. If anybody tells you that we are not missing Alhaji Ayinde Barrister, that person is a liar. He is what Yoruba people call Aso Ibora (my cover cloth). Baba Barrister was a father figure to all fuji artistes and beyond. He was our leader. We don't have any head anymore! Since baba died four years ago, fuji music has not been the same. Is it baba's talent and dexterity you want to talk about or his rich voice and abundant creativity? Baba was in a world of his own and none of the present day fuji artistes has been able to step into his shoes.”

Fight for supremacy in fuji music

If there is a genre of music where artistes fight for supremacy, it is fuji. Even during Ayinde Barrister and Kollington Ayinla era, there was a heated rivalry and it made the followers pitch their tents and make allusions and argument on whose music was better. K1 Ultimate now claims to be the king of fuji music in spite of the fact Alhaji Ayinla Kollinton is still very much alive and in semi-retirement. The fight for fuji music kingship extended to Saheed Osupa and Alabi Pasuma as they hurl insults on themselves via their music and their followership is being polarized.

“I see that as curse on fuji music. The thing is there is no crown on Wasiu Ayinde or on Obesere that says he has been crowned the king of fuji music. To me the issue of fighting for who is the head of fuji music is no big deal. Some even call me the king of bonsue fuji. Some call me king of dance. Wasiu Ayinde Marshal goes by the name K1 Ultimate, Obesere calls himself paramount king of fuji. Pasuma came out with Oga Nla. They are all titles. You can't call yourself a slave abi? Wasiu says, I'm the king of fuji. We know that he started as Talazo Disco. The thing is rivalry makes things better. We all know that Kollington Ayinla is our father after the demise of Barrister. There is no crown, no kingship on anybody's head. What matters is that is fuji music growing? Are we making money? Are we making meaningful impact? I must tell you that piracy is the devil we should all face and combat headlong,” said Ayuba in a phone-chat.

Way forward for fuji music

Ayuba said what they artistes should be concerned more about was the evil of piracy which he said was robbing the musicians of their reward of their labour. “Pirates are eating deep into our world. So the question is why do you want to gamble on your money and release an album that you will not make money from? Nobody is making money from fuji and juju music, not even hip-hop.